Recommended Age:
11
+
Best for mature readers who enjoy morally challenging, emotionally intense stories about peer pressure, cruelty, and the courage to refuse conformity.
About the Book
Ten-year-old Palmer dreads turning ten because in his town, ten-year-old boys are expected to serve as 'wringers' at the annual Pigeon Day festival—wringing the necks of wounded pigeons after a shooting competition. When Palmer befriends a pigeon, his internal conflict intensifies. A Newbery Honor book that is both disturbing and deeply humane.
Content Ratings
💡
Moderate Themes
Palmer faces intense peer pressure to conform to a violent tradition, even as he finds it morally repulsive; themes of conformity, cruelty, moral courage, and the fear of being an outsider are sustained and emotionally intense.
⚔️
Moderate Violence
The novel centers on the ritualized killing of pigeons by boys, including graphic descriptions of wringing necks; Palmer witnesses and is expected to participate in this violence; the violence is disturbing and emotionally significant.
Engagement:
Genre:
Adventure
Published:
1997
Page Count:
228
